JASMINE FLOWERS, Prateeksha Khot [free children's ebooks online .txt] 📗

God will give you the strength and hope whenever you need." It is surprising how your so called loved ones may never show affection to you but you will get abundant love from a complete stranger. She tried to put her past behind and start her life at the old age center but destiny it seemed had other plans for her..........


Few years had passed since her arrival when she heard about a new addition to the center. She had expected the person to be just like the many others, sent away for being a burden on the family . What she had not expected was the woman would turn out to be her very own sister-in-law. She greeted her politely and tried not to stop the overflow of long hidden emotions that threatened to burst out of her caged heart. Her sister-in-law with downcast eyes and fidgety fingers, seemed reluctant to talk to her, so she went away. But in the evening she herself came down to her room with what seemed to be a great amount of trepidation.


Jasmine Flowers

"Can I come in?"
"Sure."
"I wanted to talk to you.I... Well...I....I actually have a confession to make. I have been wanting to tell you something since a long time; I have tried unsuccessfully at numerous times not because of lack of occasions but because of lack of courage. It has been pricking my conscience and I know I won't rest in peace until I tell you."
She looked up at her sister-in-law wondering what was it that she wanted to tell her.
"That day...that day when you sent my brother to buy the jasmine flowers, he got called away by some friends telling him that my drunkard husband had got into yet another brawl and was being beaten up. He rushed there to help him and tried to stop the fight. But the ones who had been thrashing my husband got enraged at the disruption and instead turned their attention to him . In the midst of the fighting , someone punched and pushed him away not realizing that a truck was coming from opposite side. Seeing what had happened got scared and realized that they would
Jasmine Flowers

be tried for murder. So they threatened my husband to remain quiet and ran away. My husband came to me and told me everything that had happened. But I asked him to remain silent. I lied because I feared for the life of my husband, I wanted to save my husband. My brother did not die because of you. My brother died because of us. "


He did not die because of you...He did not die because of you....
It was as if a huge weight was lifted from her heart. She felt light and free. She did not hold a grudge against her sister-in-law because she understood her fear. In times like these when they say that the country is advancing, a woman still lived a life under the shadow of her husband. And, no matter how her sister-in-law had behaved with her, she would never want her to undergo the same life as she did.She did not want to punish her. God though had in the end provided justice for her. She had lost her close loved one and God had seen to it that her sister-in-law had lost
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the love of her close ones. As for those who had actually caused the his death, she knew that their guilty conscience had never allowed them a moment of mental peace. All their lives they had lived in fear and guilt - fear of their crime being discovered and guilt of having caused the death of an innocent man. What could be a more worse punishment than that.
It was finally over....Her heart was free of all pent up emotions.

She smiled another smile. And looked into the mirror again. She wondered how she would look like when her hair would become knee-length again..................


Jasmine Flowers

Text: All rights reserved. No part of the book can be used in any format without the author's consent. For queries contact the author at : prateeksha.khot@yahoo.in
Publication Date: 04-25-2010

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
For those who spend their entire being living under the burden of retarded and biased 'rituals' and 'traditions'